Sunny Hawaii is home to hottest Democratic primary

With a single act of defiance — ignoring the dying wishes of the legendary Sen. Daniel Inouye and tapping his own guy for a rare Senate appointment — Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie triggered one of the most intriguing and hotly contested primary battles of 2014.

The sunny, laid-back Aloha State may seem an unlikely place for intraparty Democratic combat. But chances like this don’t come along often in Hawaii: Inouye was first elected to the Senate in 1962, and former Sen. Daniel Akaka occupied the state’s other seat for 22 years until January.

“It’s going to be a very competitive race. I think it’s going to go down to the wire,” said Jennifer Sabas, a veteran of Hawaii Democratic politics who was Inouye’s longtime chief of staff. “And I don’t think the incumbent necessarily has the advantage.”

Both candidates come to the race with their own strengths: Schatz, as an incumbent, starts off with the fundraising advantage and has inherited a team of national strategists and consultants to run his campaign. Hanabusa, on the other hand, is better known within the state and is tapping into the network and political organization Inouye left behind.

In any other state, an up-and-coming state politician may simply wait his or her turn before seeking statewide office and avoid challenging a fellow Democrat. But in Hawaii, next year will be the first time in more than 50 years that Inouye isn’t on the ballot — making it a rare opportunity for ambitious state pols to try for the Senate.

“In Hawaii, for obvious reasons, we’ve not had turnover for a long, long time,” said Jadine Nielsen, a Honolulu businesswoman who was finance director for Sen. Mazie Hirono’s 2012 campaign. “In the U.S. Senate and Congress, slots don’t come up often.”

In fact, Schatz and Hanabusa ran against each other in the 2006 special election for Hawaii’s 2nd District: They were both part of a crowded Democratic primary field that Hirono won.

Schatz’s campaign plans to stress that he’s both the incumbent who’s working hard for Hawaii in the Senate and the more progressive of the two candidates.

Since he’s been in office, Schatz, who previously served in the Hawaii House of Representatives, as the state Democratic Party chairman and Obama’s 2008 Hawaii state campaign chairman, has championed issues like climate change and renewable energy. He told POLITICO that Hawaii voters “want someone who will fight for President Obama’s priorities.”

Schatz has all the typical advantages of incumbency, including the financial ones: He’s raised $2 million in the first six months of 2013, including donations from the political action committees of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Michael Bennet and other Senate Democrats. Hanabusa raised just over $500,000 in the six weeks since formally launching her campaign.

The incumbent said he has “really good relationships” with Reid and other Senate Democratic leaders and that support from them has allowed him to “hit the ground running” in both the Senate and his campaign.

He’s also brought on many of the national consultants who helped Hirono win her seat last November: Andy Winer, Schatz’s chief of staff; Rich Davis, his media consultant; and Trilogy Interactive, his digital strategists, for example, all worked for Hirono’s 2012 campaign.